Iranian Administration Allocates $270mln to Assist Quake-Hit People

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Spokesman for the Iranian Administration Mohammad Baqer Nobakht announced that the administration has allocated some $267 million to assist thousands of nationals affected by the recent deadly earthquake that hit western Iran.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session in Tehran on Wednesday, Nobakht said the administration approved to allocate $187 million in loans and an $80 million government grant to the quake-stricken people.

He added that about $7,000 have been allocated to each household in rural areas in need of reconstruction, and $10,000 have been allocated to each household in urban areas.

The $187 million in loans would be paid by the Central Bank of Iran and the $80 million government grant would be paid by the Plan and Budget Organization (PBO), the spokesman said.

The latest statistics show 474 people have been killed and 9,388 others injured in Iran by Sunday night’s earthquake, whose epicenter was near Halabjah, southeast of Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah.

In a statement on Monday evening, the Iranian government expressed sympathy with the bereaved families of the victims and declared Tuesday as a day of mourning across the country.

The province of Kermanshah had earlier declared three days of mourning.

Hit hardest by the quake, the province has received dozens of rescue teams from across the country to search for the survivors stuck under the rubble and save the wounded.

Head of the country’s Emergency Medical Service said on Tuesday morning that the rescue and relief operation and the transfer of the injured in Kermanshah had almost finished.

President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday visited the areas worst hit by the earthquake and got updates on the rescue operations.